


To Spread our Wings

by squarefishy712



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Adventure, Alcohol, BAMF Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), Dragons, Folklore, Humor, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Slow Burn, Viking Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood), viking drinking age is like...8
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28922526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squarefishy712/pseuds/squarefishy712
Summary: Hiccup's friends always knew he loved the call of adventure. The remembrance of their escapades with Dagur, traveling past the archipelago, discovering new dragons. They also knew how he despised the calmness of Berk now that the impending dragon attacks ceased.So when he disappears after searching for "Drago", they can only assume the worst. How wrong they were. The fates must have it out for him.
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Jack Frost (Guardians of Childhood)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 68





	1. Where it Begins

Hiccup's friends always knew he loved the call of adventure. The remembrance of their escapades with Dagur, traveling past the archipelago, discovering new dragons. They also knew how he despised the calmness of Berk now that the impending dragon attacks ceased.

Hiccup's constant need for adventure was no surprise to Stoick, so when he disappeared earlier than morning it didn't bring him any offence. Although, Stoick believed the conversation that partook before his son left influenced his decision to leave for the day.

~~~~

This had to be the one thing he could never get enough of. The wind rushing past his face, the pulse of adrenaline with every dip and barrel roll. The young Viking knew he shouldn't have run out on his father like that, but hopefully going for a ride would clear his head. 

The familiar click of his dragon's tail brought him from his thoughts. He quickly adjusted his foot position, making sure to hear the gears click before signing. Being above the clouds, like this. He couldn't imagine being anywhere else. They glided upwards, falling into a peaceful formation with a flock of high-flying Timberjacks high above the cloud layer. The sun glistened brightly, and the Viking could feel the cool breeze despite his leather armor.

"What do you think, bud?" The young man grinned, excitement bubbling beneath his skin. "Wanna give this another shot?"

The dragon grumbled in protest, rolling mischief-filled emerald orbs.

The Viking barked a laugh, "Toothless! It'll be fine!"

He reached down and flipped a lever, locking the pedals to Toothless's tail in place. The young man then unhooks himself from the saddle, something he had gotten into the habit of after the Red Death incident.

He grinned beneath the mask covering his face, "Ready?"

His question only earned him an unenthusiastic snort from Toothless. He leaned to the right slightly and felt anxiety clutch at his lungs as he started to plummet. Toothless let out a roar equivalent to a whoop before propelling himself after his quickly descending rider. Toothless fell into sync with the Viking, who shook his head at Toothless's antics and laughed when his dragon stuck his tongue out. Despite his initial reluctance, Toothless seemed to be having fun.

The ocean finally came into view, and it was then that the Viking slipped his forearms through a pair of tucked leather flaps and yanks, unfurling sheets of leather as he extends his arms. The wind caught under the sheets, snapping like wings and sending him gliding upwards. Toothless unfurled his wings in a similar matter and rocketed after his rider.

The freedom the Viking feels is unmatched by anything, and for a moment, dragon and rider are independently the same. Feeling the same rush of adrenaline. Totally in sync.

They plunge past cloud formations, splitting apart for a second then crossing paths again.

The Viking felt laughter bubble in his throat. He shouted, “This is amazing!”

The young Viking felt panic set into his bones when a cloud layer washed past, a large sea stack coming into view and approaching quickly.

"No longer amazing!" He steered to the right but didn’t budge. “Toothless!”

He tried steering himself away towards the open sky, but the wind current was trapping him in place. Toothless strained to catch up, and the Viking took note of the cons the locked tail provided.

Heat washed past his face and the formation exploded into jagged pieces. Black wings wrapped around him and they tumbled.

~~~~

They emerge out of the flying rubble and dust to hurtle into the trees of a neighboring peak before coming to rest at a small plateau. The Viking appeared out of the cocoon of Toothless's wings, reaching down to switch his prosthetic riding foot to his walking foot and stows his leather wings.

“That really came out of nowhere.”

Behind them, a rumbling sound caught Toothless’s attention and he watched the sea stack previously in their way crack and crumble.

Toothless grumbled, and the Viking turned to him and chuckled. “We gotta work on your solo gliding there, bud. That locked-up tail makes for some pretty sloppy rescue maneuvers.”

The rider then removes his helmet, his face framed with wild auburn. Emerald eyes sparkled with mirth. His face was tanned and spotted with freckles to match his hair. Small braids started at the base of his neck, cord woven in with the hair. Hiccup Haddock Ⅲ was now twenty years old. His need for adventure never ceased, not since that first flight with Toothless when he was fifteen.

He walked over to the edge of the cliff, studying the new land they had come across.

“Oh, looks like we’ve found another one, bud.”

His remark caused Toothless to throw a small pebble at his head.

Hiccup rubbed his head where the pebble hit him. “Oh, what? Do you want an apology? Is that why you’re pouting, big baby boo? Well…” Hiccup’s tone grew mischievous. “Try this on!”

He hugged Toothless around his neck, trying to wrestle with him.

“Ya feelin’ it yet? Huh? Picking up on all my heartfelt remorse?”

Toothless rolled his eyes, standing on his hind legs and walking towards the edge. He playfully dangled Hiccup over the edge of the cliff.

Hiccup groaned, “Oh, come now. You wouldn’t hurt a one-legged-”

His arms started slipping from around Toothless’s neck, and although he knew Toothless would catch him it didn’t soothe the panic he felt. Toothless made a noise similar to a laugh at his rider’s expense.

“You’re right! You’re right!” Hiccup gasped, clutching at Toothless. “You win! You win!”

Toothless took a step away from the edge before falling onto his back, taking Hiccup down with him. Hiccup yelped and pretended to punch Toothless.

"He's down! And it's ugly!" Hiccup barked a laugh. "Dragons and Vikings, enemies again, locked in combat to the bitter-"

Hiccup's back thudded on the dry grass, Toothless pinning him by laying his giant head on his chest. Toothless then started to lick his face.

Hiccup groaned and tried pushing the persistent dragon's face away. "You know that doesn't wash out."

Toothless moved and let Hiccup stand, gurgling a laugh in his throat. Hiccup rolled his eyes and flicked spit back at his dragon.

Jade eyes surveyed the new island they discovered and pulled out his map.

"So," he splayed the map out on the grass, smoothing out the creases, "what should we name it"

Toothless chewed on his armpit in response.

Hiccup nodded, smiling to himself. "'Itchy-armpit' it is." He looked back at the island and started sketching it out on the map.

"Whaddya reckon, bud? Think we might find a few Timberjacks in those woods? The odd Whispering Death or two in the rocks? Who knows," Hiccup glanced up at the island again before turning to Toothless, "maybe we'll finally track down another Night Fury. Wouldn't that be something?"

Hiccup pondered this for a second, it had been five years since he first met Toothless and in those years they had never come close to another Night Fury. He knew it was hopeless to look, he had scoured practically every island in the Archipelago. Practically.

"So, whaddya say? Just keep going?"

Toothless warbled a sound similar to a 'no', and Hiccup got the message. 

A large screech dragged their attention from the subject. A decent-sized cerulean dragon landed behind them. Sky blue and daffodil yellow spikes covered her shoulders, head, and tail. The dragon squawked and her rider patted the side of her neck. The rider was a tall blonde young woman. She wore a tight-fitting maroon shirt with metal-plated shoulder pads. A hood lined with rabbit fur was pulled over her head. Her outfit was completed with rabbit fur arm warmers wrapped on with leather cords.

She flipped the hood down and Hiccup grinned once he saw her face. Her pale-ish face broke out into a smile when she saw him as well. Astrid and Hiccup had been best friends ever since they defeated the Red Death. Other than a few stolen kisses here and there, they remained strictly friends.

"Afternoon, milady. Where have you been?"

Hiccup knew exactly where she was, but he knew she would like to talk about her most recent victory.

"Well, winning races. What else?" She smirked. "The real question is… where have you been?"

Hiccup knew that question was coming. "Avoiding my dad."

"Oh no, what happened now?"

He smiled, "Oh, you're gonna love this." She takes the forgotten piece of lead out of his hand and continues his sketch of the island. "I wake up. The sun's shining. Terrible Terrors are singing on the rooftop. I saunter down to breakfast thinking all is right with the world and I get-"

He clears his throat, and in a gruff voice imitating Stoick he says, "Son, we need to talk."

"Not now, Dad. I got a whole day of goofing off to get started."

Hiccup turned to Astrid, baffled. "Okay, first of all, I don't sound like that. What is this character? And second… " He imitates the shoulder-shrugging Astrid did during her impersonation. "What is it that thing you're doing with my shoulders?

He signed, shaking his head and smiling, "A truly flattering impression. Anyway, he goes, "Hiccup continues the story in the gruff voice from earlier, "You're the pride of Berk, son, and I couldn't be prouder…"

Astrid responds with a nasally voice, "Aw, thanks, Dad. I'm pretty impressed with myself, too."

Hiccup laughed at her antics, gesturing with his hands at what she was doing. "When have I ever done that with my hands?"

"You just did!"

"Okay… just… hold still." Hiccup held her forearms. "It's very serious."

"You're all grown up, and since no chief could ask for a better successor, I've decided-"

Astrid jerks away and cuts off Hiccup in her excitement. "To make you chief! Oh, my gods, Hiccup that's amazing?" She punched him hard in the chest.

Hiccup knew from experience not to mess with the muscular blonde, and this was why. In the process of her punching him, the fin of his flight suit pops out, and he grunts from the impact.

He winds the fin back into the flight suit, mumbling, "You're gonna wear out the spring coil. The calibration is very sensitive."

Thudding alerts them too late of their dragons wrestling behind them. Toothless bumps into Hiccup, who in turn bumps into Astrid, who grabs Hiccup and drags him down with her.

Hiccup gets up, dusting the dirt off of his suit. "Yeah, so… that's what I'm dealing with."

Astrid looks at him incredulously, "What did you tell him?"

"I didn't, by the time he turned around I was gone."

"Well, it's a lot of responsibility." Astrid has a faraway look in her crystal blue eyes. "The map will have to wait for sure, and I'll need to fly Toothless since you'll be so busy…"

A look of realization crossed her face.

"It's not me, Astrid." Hiccup sighs. "All those speeches, and planning, and running the village. That's his thing."

"I think you're missing the point. I mean, chief. What an honor. I'd be pretty excited." Astrid watched him pick at the grass under them and started putting more small braids in his hair.

"I'm not like you. You know exactly who you are. You always have. But… I'm still looking. I know I'm not my father… and I never met my mother."

His grass picking stopped and he looked up at her. "So, what does that make me?"

"What you're searching for, isn't out there, Hiccup… it's in here." She gently put her hand on her friend's chest. "Maybe you just don't see it yet."

She placed a kiss on his cheek. Astrid knew how stressed Hiccup could get over these things.

"Maybe, but y'know… there is something out there." He sat up slowly, gazing at something Astrid didn't notice.

She sighed, "Hiccup-"

He grabbed her face and turned her attention to where he was looking. In the distance, large plumes of smoke rose into the sky.


	2. Chapter 2: Startling Revelations

Trees blurred past as Toothless and Stormfly raced through the forest. Hiccup noted the pungent smell of ash that was slowly starting to give him a headache. The trees started to thin, and the open ocean appeared in front of them. The sun was still high in the sky, reflecting on the water. That’s when the source of the smoke came into view. A huge and piercing structure of ice, with large protruding spiky icicles, filled their vision. Hiccup felt himself glancing around in case whoever caused this was still around.

When he found nothing, he turned to Astrid and nodded at her, “Stay close.”

Hiccup could sense Toothless’s uneasiness, so he reached forward and patted his neck. They glided around the ice, looking at everything caught in the ice. Ships, boats, and what Hiccup assumed were the remains of a wooden fort.

“What happened here?”

Astrid couldn’t tell if he was just mumbling to himself or asking her, but she could see the gears turning behind his eyes. 

Toothless’s eyes surveyed the ground passing beneath them. Large footprints in the mud set his nerves on edge, and he tried to voice his stress to his rider.

“Easy, bud.”

Astrid saw them before Hiccup.

“Fire!”

Nets flew at the pair in the sky, and Hiccup felt panic rattle his bones. One of the nets evaded Stormfly’s attention and was catapulting straight towards her and her rider.

“Astrid, look out!”

Stormfly reacted to the warning too late, and she and Astrid went spiraling down towards the ground.

“Hiccup!” Astrid launched herself from the saddle.

Toothless caught the hint and quickly flew under Astrid so she fell onto the saddle behind Hiccup.

Men clad in fur-lined cloaks rushed towards the downed Stormfly, but she adapted to the situation quickly. It was one of the things she and Astrid had in common. In a matter of seconds, Stormfly was free from the net, tail spikes launching at the men attacking her.

A buff man yelled over the commotion, brown eyes narrowed in concentration, “Watch the tail!”

Astrid could only gape at how the man handled her dragon. Toothless did another fly by, but this time he didn’t manage to evade the brunette man’s attention. 

He watched in wonder. “Is that what I think it is?”

~~~~

Hiccup watched the scene happening below, pointing at a place for Toothless to land without getting attacked.

During their rapid descent, he felt himself yell, “Stop!”

Astrid didn’t wait until Toothless stopped, she lept off of his back and ran towards her dragon.

“Stormfly!” Rage filled her voice. “What are you doing?”

Hiccup landed shortly after her, whipping out a sword hilt from a concealed sheath on his leg. He flicked the hilt and the blade clicked out. This was one of the inventions Hiccup was most proud of. One more click and the blade was quickly coated in dancing orange flames. Astrid glanced around for a weapon to use, but since there were none in sight, she settled for a big stick.

The man chucked. “Back again?” He glanced behind Hiccup. “Soil my britches… that is a Night Fury. Thought they were all gone for good.”

He turned to his men, who were now cowering away from Toothless instead of attacking Stormfly. Maybe they only felt in control when whatever they were fighting was incapacitated, Hiccup noted.

The man suddenly turned to his men, and Hiccup just now noticed the pale scars littering his biceps.

"Looks like our luck's had a turn for the better, lads." He sneered. "Don't think Drago has one of those in his dragon army."

Astrid turned to Hiccup, furrowing her brows, "Dragon army?"

Hiccup paled at the suddenly tense atmosphere, and extinguished the flame on his blade. "Look, we don't want any trouble."

Rage flashed across - what Hiccup now figured - the dragon hunter's face. "Ha! You should've thought of that before you stole all our dragons and blasted our fort to bits."

Astrid cringed as his voice rose at the end, this was not going to end well. From past experiences, Astrid was as pleasantly surprised as one could be when nothing got too violent.

Meanwhile, Hiccup was gazing at the remains of the fort, analyzing the lack of cracks in the ice. "Wait…"

Astrid had enough. "What are you talking about?"

"You think we did this?" Hiccup was concerned now. If they truly believed it was Astrid and him who blew up their fort, what would that mean for the dragons of Berk. They had gotten on the wrong side of dragon trappers one too many times in the past.

"Dragon trapping is hard enough work as it is, without do-gooder dragon riders sneaking in to rescue them."

"What do-gooder-" realization crossed Hiccup's face. "There are other dragon riders?"

"You mean, other than your thieving friend from last night?" The man crossed his arms. "You tell me. You may have an ice-spitting dragon on your side, but we still have a quota to fill."

Hiccups brows furrowed. He had studied the Book of Dragons front to back hundreds of times in his youth, but he couldn't recall reading about an ice-spitting dragon before. He'd have to ask Fishlegs about it once he and Astrid got back. If they got back, at this point.

"How do you suppose we explain this mess to Drago Bludvist?"

Now that caught Hiccup's attention.

"Drago what-fist?" He felt himself roll his eyes. "Does anything you say make sense?"

One of the men holding an axe in the back spoke up, "He's expecting a new shipment of dragons for his army by tomorrow."

Another man chimed in. "And Drago don't take well to excuses."

The man standing before Hiccup reached up towards his shirt collar. "This is what he gave me last time I showed up empty-handed."

A large emblem had been burned into the man's chest, by his collar bone. Raised skin was still slightly red and puffy. Hiccup didn't doubt for a second that that must've been painful.

"He promised to be far less understanding in the future."

"Look, we don't know anything about a dragon thief, or an ice-spitting dragon…"

He was too busy rambling to notice the man nod to his people hidden behind Hiccup and Astrid.

"Or your lunatic boss and his dragon army, okay? Just give us back our dragon and we'll go," Hiccup frowned. "Strange-Hostile-Person-Whom-We've-Never-Met."

The man grinned sickeningly, "Oh, where are my manners." He bowed, extending his arm in a sweeping motion. "I'm Eret. Son of Eret. Finest dragon trapper alive. After all, it's not just anyone who can capture a Night Fury."

Toothless roared beside Hiccup, and he gently placed a hand on his friend's head.

"And this is Toothless. He says we're going. Now."

Eret chucked. "That's what they all say… rush 'em, lads."

They must've taken one step before Toothless blasted a ice shard above their heads. It came crashing down, and Eret barely had enough time to leap out of the way. Hiccup seized the opportunity to rush to Stormfly. He ignited the blade once more, and sliced the ropes grounding Stormfly.

Astrid was at Stormfly’s side immediately. “Stormfly! C’mon, go! Go!”

She barely managed to get into the air before Eret came after her, brandishing a long, engraved blade.

Before they were out of earshot, Eret shouted after them, “YOU WILL NEVER HOLD ONTO THOSE DRAGON’S, YOU HEAR ME? DRAGO IS COMING FOR THEM ALL!”

~~~~

The wind ruffled Hiccup's hair, providing some comfort to the heavy atmosphere. The flight to Berk was silent, and he was somewhat thankful for that. What did Eret mean when he talked about other dragon riders. Surely Hiccup would've met them if there were any. On top of that, by the gods, what kind of dragon could possibly spit ice? Scauldrons could spit boiling water, but this was completely on the other side of the spectrum.

Astrid's train of thought wasn't any better than his, Hiccup assumed. She was chewing on her bottom lip, something she did whenever one particular 'adventure' got to her. Hiccup felt bad for dragging her into this, but she would have insisted on coming with him anyway.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. He glanced at the water below, but there were no ships insight, so Eret couldn’t have been following him. He was unable to shake the feeling for the rest of the flight.


	3. Chapter 3: Some Minds Cannot be Changed

As Toothless landed, Hiccup heard his father's booming laughter coming from a rather old building with smoke pouring out of a chimney.

"There he is!"

A tall, burly red-bearded man walked towards him, followed by a shorter blond man with a wooden hand. The tall man spread his arms in a welcoming gesture, a grin forming on his lightly-scarred face. This was Stoick, the Chief of Berk. Also, coincidentally, Hiccup’s father.

“The pride of Berk!”

The shorter man shook his “hand” at Hiccup as he passed. This was Gobber, the blacksmith who Hiccup had been apprenticing under since he was a small boy. “Who finally decided to show up for work.” He drawled sarcastically. “Yay.”

“Sorry, got held up.” Hiccup said as he reached up to protect his head from Gobber’s “hand.”

Hiccup quickly followed his father’s rapid pace, stammering to get his attention. “Hey, Dad, could I have a word?”

Stoick turned to him swiftly, rubbing his hands together expectantly. “Something you’re itching to tell me?”

Hiccup hesitated, “Not quite the itch you’re thinking of, but yes.”

His father grinned, which was a rather unusual sight, and clapped his son on the back. “Good man! Now, lesson one.” He continued walking throughout the hut, passing the dozens of smithing tools hanging on the walls. “A chief’s first duty is to his people…. So.”

Stoick turned now to the villagers of Berk standing outside waiting for their saddles to be made. “Forty-one? Forty-”

Hiccup sighed, “Could we just talk in private for-”

A stout Viking piped up from the back of the crowd, answering Stoick’s question. “That’s me! That’s me! I’m next.” Another Viking grumbled next to him. “I was ahead of you.”

Hiccup tried again, “If we could just talk-”

The Viking interrupted him again. “Excuse me. I’ve been here all day.” He cleared his throat. “Okay, I want one of those high-seaters, with lots of spikes and big stowage compartment.”

Stoick nodded. “Absolutely! You got it, sir.”

Hiccup followed his father again, growing more annoyed at how he was being brushed off. “Dad, this is actually a little more important than building saddles.”

His father tutted at him, “Lesson two. No task is too small when it comes to serving your people.”

“Dad-”

Stoick stepped around a sleeping dragon on the floor. “Oh, excuse us, Grump.”

“Look, can we just talk?”

Gobber hobbled over again, swinging his hand and the lumpy dragon. “Grump! You let the forge die down again.”

Grump lifted his head and burped hot magma into the forge, causing Hiccup to scream from almost being hit. Gobber groaned before pouring water onto the fire.

He rolled his eyes, “That’s it, Grump. You’re going up for adoption.”

Stoick plucked some items for the villager’s saddle off a nearby rack. “One of these. And this…”

Hiccup had enough, and he snapped, “Dad!”

His father turned his attention towards Hiccup and continued setting up the leather for the saddle. “There you go! Have away.”

“But seriously. I really need to tell you about this new land we came across.”

Gobber chimed in, “Another one?”

A young man, Fishlegs, spoke suddenly. “Any new dragons?”

Fishlegs was the dragon enthusiast of the group, even more than Hiccup himself. Recently, Fishlegs had begun growing out a beard, although in Astrid’s opinion it was more like pathetic stubble. His round babyface did not suit the look.

Hiccup shook his head. “We didn’t stick around to find out. These folks weren’t particularly friendly.”

“Oh, really? Your Night Fury and Deadly Nadder didn’t send them singing for the rooftops?” Gobber drawled sarcastically. And people wondered where Hiccup learned it from.

“No, this was different. Not the standard run-for-the-hills hoo-ha I’ve come to enjoy. These guys were trappers. Dragon trapper.”

Astrid stood next to him, her brows furrowed slightly in worry, not that anyone would notice. Astrid Hofferson did not experience worry. “You should’ve seen their fort. All blown apart and stuck in giant spikes of ice. It was weird.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it. And worst of all, they thought we did it.”

“Y’know,” Gobber spoke, “You two are going to get yourselves into serious trouble one of these days. Not everyone appreciates this way of life.”

Stoick sighed, “Gobber’s right, son. Best we keep to our own. Besides, you’ll have more important uses for your time.”

He turned on a big mechanical saw that Gobber invented, smiling proudly, “Once we make the big announcement!”

Hiccup reached over the table and turned off the saw. “They are building a dragon army. Or- or at least the guy they work for is.” He ran a hand through his hair in thought. “‘Dargo Bloody Fist’ or something.”

Stoick’s face immediately dropped and he exchanged a solemn look with Gobber.

Tuffnut, the rider of Belch, snarled, “I’ll bloody his fist with my face if he tries to take my dragon!”

Ruffnut, his twin, added to the comment. “Or mine!”

“You’re such a moron,” Tuffnut spoke.

“A beautiful moron. “Fishlegs added.

Snoutlout, a pudgy Viking with short spiky hair agreed, “Yeah.” Previously, Snoutlout had been crushing on Astrid but as of late his, rather unfortunate in Hiccup’s opinion, affections had turned to Ruffnut.

His comment, however, caused Ruffnut to groan in disgust.

Stoick suddenly turned to Hiccup, alarmed and serious, “Bludvist? Drago Bludvist?”

Hiccup furrowed his brows, “Uh, yeah. Wait… You know him?”

~~~~

Hiccup raced after his dad as he stormed into the Dragon Hangar.

“Ground all dragons!” Stoick shouted over the noise, much to the alarm of many people in the Hagar already.

“What? Why?”

“Seal the gates! Lower the storm doors!” Stoic barked the orders.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait! What is happening?”

Gobber shouted in the background noise, “You heard the man! Lock it down!”

“No dragon or Viking sets foot off this island until I give the word.”

“Because some guy you knew is stirring up trouble in some faraway land?” Hiccup understood the fear of being prepared for your enemies, but this was too much in his opinion.

“Because Drago Bludvist is a madman,” Stoick said ominously. “Without conscience or mercy. And if he’s built a dragon army… gods help us all.”

He turned again to continue barking orders to the people standing around. “Get them into their pens.”

Hiccup spoke quickly before he could get shot down, “Then let’s ride back out there. We’ll follow those trappers to Drago and talk some sense into him.”

“No, we fortify the island.”

“It’s our duty to keep the peace!”

Stoick’s face morphed into something crude. “Peace is over Hiccup. It’s time I prepare you for war.”

Hiccup felt a sinking feeling in his gut, and he felt desperation grow in his words. “War? Dad, if Drago’s coming for our dragons, we can’t wait around for him to get here.” He now realized why Astrid was making fun of his hand movements. “Let’s go find him, and change his mind.”

“Some minds won’t be changed, Hiccup. Berk is what you need to worry about.” Stoick’s tone softened for a moment. “A chief protects his own.” He faced away from Hiccup once more, giving him time to think. “Secure the stable! Latch every stall!”

Hiccup hefted himself over Toothless’s saddle, and Astrid spoke a faint, “Hiccup, don’t.”

“I have to,” And she sensed no lie in his words. Whenever Hiccup said he had to do something, most often he truly meant it. She grasped her best friend’s hand, smiling at him.

In a rush of wind, Hiccup and Toothless blast past, heading for the exit.

“Hiccup!”

Toothless aimed to fly through one door, but before he could make it in time it shut in his face. He maneuvered around and dived through the gap in a second lowering storm door. Stoick’s yells became mere whispers by the time Hiccup made it through the gap.

~~~~

Hiccup nodded at Astrid as she flew beside him. They had been soaring for around an hour now until Hiccup found a wind current the ship might’ve followed. His theory was proven correct when they spotted the trapper’s ship in the distance, sailing at a relatively slow pace.

They heard Eret’s faint yells as they drew nearer, but this time, they were ready for the nets that came hurtling their way. Hiccup landed on the ship first, causing it to jostle and the crew to stumble.

“And here I was worried we might turn up empty-handed.” Eret grinned, his hand already on the blade strapped to his hip.

Hiccup chuckled. “Nope, it’s your lucky day.” He threw a spare net over Astrid. “We give up.”

He held his arms up and continued, “That’s one Night Fury, one Deadly Nadder, and two of the finest dragon riders this side of Luk Tuk. That ‘oughta make the boss happy, right?” He sidestepped around one of the crewmembers. “Excuse us.”

Astrid turned to him frantically, but she knew he had a plan. “What’re you doing?”

Hiccup lifted the grate leading to the hull of the ship, where Hiccup was assuming they kept the dragons. Toothless went to follow, but Hiccup put a hand on his nose, “Toothless, stay. The dragons don’t really care much for tight spaces, so they’ll just hang out with you. They won’t be any trouble.”

As if all of the crewmembers shared one cohesive brain cell, they all pointed their spears at Toothless and Stormfly.

“Unless you do that.” He grimaces. “Wooden boat, big ocean- How’s your swimming?”

“Not good…” One of the trappers mumbled.

Hiccup closed the grate once more, before reaching down and pulling his sword from its sheath on his calf. He propped the door open once more by igniting the flame.

“Oops, almost forgot.” He smacked his forehead. “Can’t have armed prisoners.”

He retracts the blade and offered it to one of the trappers, who looked it over carefully.

“How is this possibly a plan?” Astrid whispered, annoyance creeping into her tone.

Hiccup ignored her and continued speaking with the trapper. “Just what every Dragon Trapper needs. One end coats the blade in Monstrous Nightmare saliva.”

The trapper holding the blade pressed down a button, and thick green gas was expelled from the mouth of the hilt. “The other sprays Hideous Zippleback gas. All it takes is a spark and…”

Another trapper clicked the lighter, igniting the gas. Hiccup ducked down as the sudden explosion swept over the deck.

“Oh, yeah. There ya go. Once they see you as one of their own, even the testiest dragons can be trained, right, bud?” Hiccup turned his attention to Toothless, who was batting at ash that was falling from the previous explosion.

Eret sneered, “Gimme that.” He threw it as hard as he could towards the ocean, but Stormfly flew after it. He turned back to Hiccup, pointing a finger at him. “What game are you playing at?”

“No game. We just want to meet Drago.”

Stormfly returned with the sword, Hiccup deemed it Inferno, and nudged it towards Eret once more, who in turn threw it in the opposite direction. One thing Astrid learned quickly about her dragon was her innate need to play fletch.

“Why?”

“Because I’m going to change his mind about dragons.”

This caused Eret and his men to laugh, and Stormfly returned once more with Inferno.

“He can be really persuasive, “Astrid chimed.

“Once you’ve earned his loyalty, there’s nothing a dragon won’t do for you.”

Eret scoffed, “You won’t be changing any minds around here.”

Astrid watched Stormfly beg the other trappers to play fetch with her.

Hiccup felt hope spark in his gut. “I can change yours. Right here, right now.”

He pushed Toothless’s tail lever forward, causing the prosthetic to open.

“May I?”

But before Eret could even respond, Hiccup was being ripped from the ground and carried into the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for choosing to read my story! It means a lot. Feel free to leave feedback in the comments if you would like, I would enjoy hearing what you all think of this. :)


	4. Chapter 4: War's Lament

“Dragon Riders!”

Toothless roared and climbed to the top of the boat. However, once he saw who had taken his rider, he relaxed.

“Put me down!” Hiccup angrily looked around. “Snotlout! What are you doing?”

Snoutlout turned to Ruffnut, shouting over the wind. “See how well I protect and provide?”

Ruffnut and Tuffnut must not have heard Snoutlout’s comment, they were too busy being shot at.

Tuffnut groaned, “What’s with all the nets?”

“Hey! Watch it,” Ruffnut shouted over the noise. “That was close…” Time seemed to slow down once her eyes landed on the muscular man shooting at her. Eret, Son of Eret.”Oh, my.”

Once she got close enough to get a better look at him, her eyes immediately focused on his biceps. “Me likey…” A net flew at her, and she opened her arms. “Take me.”

The net enclosed itself around her and Barf, causing Tuffnut to be the one who was mainly steering the two-headed dragon. Hiccup pushed himself out of Hookfang’s grasps and slipped his arms into the leather straps of his flight suit. Astrid watched his descent, and her eyes snapped over to where Eret was manning the net launcher.

“Hold your fire!”

She shoved him away from the net catapult as he fired, causing the net to barely miss Hiccup. He turned sharply, aiming for the sail of the ship. He grabbed a rope and slid down to the deck. Pain briefly shot up his leg from the force of his landing. I’m gonna have to reevaluate the durability of this peg leg during rough landings, Hiccup realized. But he could hardly focus on that now, he had to somehow convince his “kidnappers” to take him to Drago.

“What are you guys doing here?” He shouted. Hiccup was tired of constantly being babysat by his friends and his father; and quite frankly, he wanted a new adventure. 

“We’re here to rescue you!” Gobber hollered back.

Hiccup rolled his eyes at Gobber’s antics as Grump thudded onto the deck. “I don’t need to be rescued.”

“Enough!” THUD.

Stoick landed behind the sail, Skullcrusher snorting at the hasty arrival. Stoick always had a thing about dramatic and terrifying - in Hiccup’s professional opinion - arrivals.

Eret smirked, “Well, didn’t you just pick the wrong ship, eh? I am Eret, son of-”

Stoick shoved his face as he walked past, ignoring Eret as he tried to continue his ‘threatening’ speech. As he stumbled back, however, Gobber hit him in the head with his prosthetic hand. Eret dropped to the deck and Grump dumped his head on top of him, falling asleep in a matter of seconds and pinning him to the deck.

Eret coughed and tried to crawl away, dragging his forearms across the deck in a futile attempt. “Get… this thing… off… me.”

Gobber turned to the rest of the crew.” Anyone else?” A self-satisfactory grin broke out on his face as the crew backed into one of the corners. “That’s what I figured.”

Hiccup turned to face his father’s enraged face, smoke already practically pouring out of his ears. It reminded him of the look his father gave him all those years ago, before he killed the Red Death, before he met Toothless. When he was the ‘village screw-up.’ It wasn’t a flattering title, he knew, but everything had been so simple then. Hiccup couldn’t imagine living like that anymore, not with everything that had happened in the past five years.

His father, as expected, was not taking any of his nonsense today, and he jabbed a stubby finger at his son. “You, saddle up. We’re going home.”

“No.”

“Of all the irresponsible-”

The words were already out of Hiccup’s mouth before he could stop them. “I’m trying to protect our dragons and stop a war! How is that irresponsible?”

“Because war is what he wants, son!” Stoick snapped. A resigned look passed over his face. Hiccup recognized that look, he’d practically memorized it. Whenever his father thought about Hiccup’s mother he was always far away, as if by thinking about her he was suddenly there too.

“Years ago, there was a great gathering of the chieftains to discuss the dragon scourge we all faced. Into our midst came a stranger from a strange land, covered in scars and draped in a cloak of dragon skin. He carried no weapon and spoke softly, saying that he, Drago Bludvist, was a man of the people, devoted to freeing mankind from the tyranny of dragons.” Men who devoted their lives to this, Hiccup found, most often were the ones causing the conflict. “He claimed that he alone could control the dragons and he alone could keep us safe if we chose to bow down and follow him.”

They laughed, as one would in this situation. Hiccup and his friends had seen enough psychopathic dragon killers in the past five years than they had during the war with the dragons.

Ruffnut wiped away an imaginary tear, her shoulders still shaking from mirth. “Stupid.

Next to her, Tuffnut responded similarly.

Stoick nodded, melancholy laced deep in his tone. “Aye, we laughed too… Until he wrapped himself in his cloak and cried out. ‘Then see how well you do without me!’ The rooftop suddenly burst into flames, and from it, armored dragons descended, burning the hall to the ground. I…” A sigh passed his lips, “Was the only one to escape. Men who kill without reason cannot be reasoned with.”

Despite the uncomfortable atmosphere present on the deck, Hiccup was still set on his idea. “Maybe.”

“Hiccup…” Stoick knew how determined Hiccup could be, especially about this type of thing. He grew up without seeing the true horrors of war, and in his ignorance, he believed anyone’s mind could be changed. 

“I’m still going to try.” His prosthetic clicked into place as he settled upon Toothless’s back. “This is what I’m good at. And if I could change your mind…” He leaned forwards in the saddle. “I can change his, too. Come on, bud.”

They took to the air, the sound of wingbeats filling the silence. It didn’t go unnoticed by Stoick when Astrid crept over to Stormfly, whispering a small ‘come on, girl.’

“No, lead the others back to Berk.” Stoick spoke firmly, “I’ve had enough mutiny for one day.”

~~~~

Hiccup stared through his visor, frustration bubbling in his head. All his life, he had thought there was nothing he was good at. Sure, he wasn’t a total screw-up when it came to working in the forge, but he could barely sit still while he was working. Hiccup enjoyed inventing things, it was something he had picked up, but that was all knowledge in his opinion. After the people of Berk came around to the idea of dragons, his life rapidly changed, and he was okay with it. Sure, people constantly trying to kill him or Toothless wasn’t exactly what he looked forward to in the afternoon, but he loved the spark of adrenaline it gave him. Peacemaking was his forte, whether it was protecting dragons from Dagur, or keeping their secrets from Alvin, he always found a solution. So if anyone could prevent this war, he could.

He just had to find Drago first.

Which is what he was trying to do, with no success. The sun was already beginning to set, and Hiccup still had no trace of Drago’s location. Hiccup took off his helmet, snapping it into place on the saddle. They soared over the cloud layer, the Arctic wind pushing against his face. His frustrations growing louder and louder in his head, he let out a scream before slumping back completely onto the saddle. Toothless glanced up at his rider apprehensively. 

“Don’t worry, bud,” Hiccup pat Toothless’s side. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise.”

In his peripheral vision, Hiccup noticed something tearing through the clouds. He rolled his eyes and sat up, turning to face whoever was peaking through the clouds.

“Aw, come on, Dad. Really?”

He recoiled at the sight, however, when he came face to face with a person. Though, it looked like they were floating in midair. Large, empty eyes stared into his own. Whoever, or whatever, this was, Hiccup was sure he never wanted to see them again. Large spikes covered their head, cascading down like icicles. Leather plates of armor covered any indication of this thing being human. The one indicator he had was the second ‘person’ who joined them. The second was less adorned with spikes, but they possessed the same blank stare.

Toothless was obviously started as well, as his wingbeats faltered and he glided away a few feet.

Hiccup placed a hand on Toothless’s head. “Okay. No sudden moves.”

The figures rose from the clouds, and Hiccup felt relief as he saw their dragons emerge as well. The first rode a Snow Wraith, a medium-sized strike class dragon. Hiccup recalled Fishlegs rambling about the creature’s impressive ability to withstand and blend in with blizzards and their thermal vision - he also remembered their quest for one’s tooth in order to open the Dragon’s Eye. He almost shuddered at the memory.

The second figure rode a Stormcutter, a tall sharp-class dragon. Apparently, they had the strange ability to turn their head around a full one hundred eighty degrees. They also had two sets of wings, although Hiccup recalled few had actually seen proof of that. He had never actually met one, but Fishlegs liked to tell him of his dragon cards while he worked on new inventions.

He felt panic rise in his throat as the figures loomed, their wingbeats syncing and becoming the only noise. Whisps of clouds kicked up and blurred his vision.

“Hold on,” He gasped, “Hold on.”

Claws grasped Hiccup’s shoulders and the next thing he knew Toothless was plummeting towards the ground and he was being carried off with the mysterious figures. He screamed at them, begged for them to go back for Toothless.

“Please! He can’t fly on his own, he’ll drown!”

Hiccup could only watch the cracked ice from a distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for 400 hits! As always, Hiccup is entirely unbothered by being told off for being too reckless.


	5. Chapter 5: The Other Side

Jack was normally never one to join Valka when she went to deal with potential threats or dragon raids, not that she really ever let him. But today he assumed she was feeling generous. So here he was, following her as they tracked her latest person of interest.

The cold air felt nice for a change, as opposed to the humid warmth of the caves, created by the dragon’s body heat. He always felt calmest when in a snowy, arctic climate. Which explained his self-appointed name, Jack Frost. Valka found it strange, but personally, he thought it suited him well.

They had been flying for a few hours at most, and Jack was starting to feel annoyed at this point. They’d been on a wild goose chase ever since one of the dragons from the flock caught the scent of a dragon they thought had gone extinct. Valka didn’t want to risk a Night Fury falling into Drago’s hands, of all people.

“I thought you said you could track it?” His voice was exasperated. “We’ve been at this for hours and my back is getting sore.”

Valka chuckled. “You act as if you’re three hundred years old, Jack.”

“Feels like it…” He mumbled.

Cloudjumper perked up, and in a second he was soaring upwards towards the clouds. Now they had something. Jack placed his mask back on his face and steeled himself to meet whoever it was above the clouds. A loud shout, however, startled him and he glanced at Valka anxiously. Jack assumed she didn’t expect there to be a person either, as her posture immediately drew straight and she slipped on her mask as well.

Jack recalled all those years ago when Valka first started teaching him about dragons. The first thing he learned was that in order to really earn a dragon’s trust, he had to appear as one of their own. Being the eager to please child he was, Jack based his mask on the Bewilderbeast. Its dangerous ability to freeze anything always amazed him, but he never really did know why. But now he was getting ahead of himself, and he shook his head before breaking the cloud layer.

What he saw wasn’t the burly Viking he was anticipating, but rather a skinny brunet, clad in some sort of leather armor. What was even more surprising was that it matched his dragon, which Jack noticed was the Night Fury they had been tracking. It took a few seconds for him to notice they were there, but when the Viking did turn, Jack faintly heard him mumble something about ‘really, Dad?’, but the wind was rushing in his ears so much he couldn’t be sure.

Once he got a good look at the Viking’s face, he felt his face heat up behind the mask. Vibrant forest green eyes peered back into his own, and Jack could easily tell he was startled. Freckles brushed his cheeks, and there was a small scar on his chin. His brown hair was ruffled from the wind and at the base of his neck were two small braids.

His voice came out nasally and he placed a hand on the Night Fury’s head, “Okay. No sudden moves.”

It must’ve been that moment that Valka decided to ease the boy’s nerves as she signaled for Cloudjumper to rise from the clouds. Jack saw panic flare in the boy’s face - he’d always been good at reading emotions, even if it was just Valka and him - and figured that their surfacing from the clouds only made matters worse.

As they glided over to be face to face with him, Jack noticed something about the Night Fury. Any regular Night Fury, as far as Jack’s expansive knowledge went, did not have a red tailfin. It appeared to be metal and had some sort of design on it - which Jack then noticed was identical to the one on the guy’s shoulder, and that only added to his theory of matching outfits even more.

Jack crouched on the back of the Snow Wraith, holding his staff behind his back. Jack watched the brunet’s eyes flick between Valka and him, an amused smile threatening to break out on his face.

“Hold on, hold on.”

Jack had seen the Snafflefang before the Night Fury rider even knew what was happening. Jack turned away as soon as he heard the dragon rider’s panicked screams as his dragon plummeted. It’s fine, the Night Fury will catch u-

The Night Fury wasn’t flying. Why wasn’t he flying? Why-

Oh.

That’s what the tailfin was for, wasn’t it? He glanced at the icy waters below and, despite nausea threatening to make its way into his stomach, he persisted in scanning for something.

A slight flap at the surface of one of the craps gave him his answer.

Jack diverted his attention back to the young Viking, who was now being carried by a blue Snafflefang. An amused smile formed its way on his face, and he hoped the Viking couldn’t see his shoulders shaking from holding in his laughter.

~~~~

Icebergs whizzed past Jack’s peripheral vision. The Viking had been quiet for a while, which Jack found concerning. Green eyes fixated on the ice below. He must’ve sensed Jack’s eyes on him, as he glanced and made direct eye contact. There was something on his face, an emotion Jack couldn’t quite comprehend. The forest meets the snow. Leaves meeting the rain.

The moment was broken when that conflicted expression crossed the Viking’s face again.

“Hey! You left my dragon back there. He can’t fly on his own. Do you really want him to drown?”

Jack felt queasy at the word, and he quickly turned away. They were swiftly approaching the nest. The familiar spikes of ice chilled away the feeling clutching at his stomach. The flock moved as one unit, navigating their way to one of the many basalt caves. A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he watched the dragons make their descent.

The chill from the caves chipped away at his nerves, and he felt at peace once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of did a rough sketch of how I imagine Jack's armor would look like?  
> Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!


	6. Chapter 6: Rememberance

They flew for quite a while; all of the scenery was blurring together. Iceberg after iceberg after iceberg. Hiccup watched the water, hoping that any moment now Toothless would break through the water and they would be okay.

A shiver passed through him and he glanced up at the flock of dragons now surrounding them. It was a strange flock full of breeds he had never seen before. Hiccup felt eyes watching him, and he matched the gaze of the rider on the Snow Wraith. The warrior, as he decided to call them, offered no response and gazed with the same empty stare. Except it didn’t seem so empty now, he realized. Remorse behind the mask, he could sense it.

Pity wouldn’t help Toothless, so he tried again. “Hey! You left my dragon back there. He can’t fly on his own! Do you really want him to drown?”

The warrior watching him flinched at the word drown, and they turned their attention to their destination. Hiccup followed their gaze to a sculpture parallelling the dragon trapper’s fort. Just as before, ice glittered in the moon’s light and the polar landscape offered no comfort. It loomed in the distance, foreboding and dark. 

Hiccup’s stomach lurched as the flock, as well as the dragon carrying him, dived and navigated into a small entrance in the cracks. They arrived in a lowly lit basalt cave highly populated with dragons of all kinds that loomed in the shadows. He felt the claws carrying him leave, and soon he was being dropped in the center of the cave.

He scrambled to his feet and called out, “We have to head back for my dragon!”

A nearby dragon hissed and approached him. Hiccup took an instinctive step back. He reached down and grabbed Inferno from where it was strapped to his leg. Igniting it, he waved the blade around himself, eyeing the dragon before him. It seemed to pause for a moment, watching the flames swirl and curl with intrigue. Its pupils widened as it followed the movement of the blade, hypnotized by the calculated sweeps of the fiery blade.

More dragons hissed behind him, and Hiccup turned to face them. He stowed the blade, changed the cartridges of Zippleback gas into the hilt, then flipped it around and sprayed a perimeter of the gas around himself. He clicked the lighter and covered his face, Hiccup felt the heat curl from the small explosion.

The dragons recoiled. Hiccup reached his hand through the smoke, outstretched and open. Worries about Toothless returned to his mind, but he pushed them aside to focus on the task ahead. One of the dragons crept forwards again, sniffing his hand with curiosity.

This could be it. His ticket out or his demise, Hiccup didn’t know. He had enough experience with dragons over the years to know it was difficult to change a dragons’ loyalty to their person, especially said person took good care of their dragon. These dragons, Hiccup noted, listened with such exact understanding of the warriors’ wishes he had no clue how this would go. But still, he kept his hand outstretched and tried his best to refrain from shaking.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one of the warriors approaching and he quickly retracted his hand. He searched the room for the other warrior, but he was nowhere in sight.

The room once more became quiet, the only noise being the clicking and hissing of the surrounding dragons.

Hiccup’s voice shook, “Who are you?” He gulped and stepped away from the approaching warrior. “The dragon thief?”

His questions yielded him no answers. The figure just crept closer and closer. One hand grasping a staff and the other a shield. Empty eyes staring into his own. They circled him, and Hiccup could tell that whoever this was, they were trying to memorize and detect every detail about him. His armor, his blade, his face.

He hesitated. “Uh, Drago Bludvist?”

The figure was before him now, face to face once more.

“Do you even understand what I’m saying?”

That seemed to have done it. The million coin question.

Swinging the staff, the figure struck the ground with it. It rattled a rather chilling sound, one that reverberated off the cavern walls. Hiccup felt himself gasp.

From the back of the room, a dragon lifted from the ground carrying something. Hiccup strained his eyes but he couldn’t identify-

Toothless.

It must be. It could only be.

The dragon carrying Toothless dropped him between Hiccup and the warrior.

“Toothless!” He ran to his dragon, gently holding his face and smoothing his scales. “Oh, it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

Whether Hiccup was assuring himself or Toothless he had no clue.

“I’m glad to see you too, bud.” Toothless licked his face, but he didn’t care. “You really had me worried there.”

Toothless grumbled in return.

The figure rattled their staff again, and the sound turned Hiccup’s attention back to the present. He placed himself between Toothless and this figure in front of them. One of the dragons closest ignited a flame in its mouth, causing a chain effect of the other dragons doing the same. Toothless growled and Hiccup felt him curl his tail around his legs, the tailfin acting as a barrier. Hiccup placed a hand on his back to steel him.

The warrior crouched to the ground, and this was the moment Hiccup wondered where the other one was. Was it an ambush, some sort of sick ploy to gain his trust? But instead, the figure dropped their shield and staff, the objects clattering to the ground. They crept closer still, and in the lighting, Hiccup saw a hand reaching out to Toothless.

Hiccup couldn’t quite describe what happened next, but if he didn’t die today maybe he’d ask them how they did that. Some sort of disarming gesture, he’s sure Fishlegs would love to know. Toothless was laying on his back in a heartbeat and he appeared to be in a state of bliss. Hiccup was astounded.

But his astonishment didn’t last for long. The warrior turned to him now, hand outstretched in a similar manner. His gaze flicked from the hand to the warrior’s face. Back and forth, back and forth-

The figure’s breath caught. Hiccup only caught it for a second. They were retreating quickly, breathing erratically, and panicked.

“Oh…” Their voice was muffled, but Hiccup heard their next words clear as a bell.

“Hiccup?”

Confusion stirred in his gut, and he watched carefully as the warrior removed, as Hiccup deducted, her helmet.

Smooth features. Her face was pale in the orange light cast from the dragons. Blue eyes stared back into his own. Her voice was like silk, and her accent was something Hiccup couldn’t place.

She held his gaze, searching his face for some sort of indication. “Could- could it be? After all these years?” Her expression was hopeful.

She was standing now, her posture was more relaxed than it had been previously. “How is this possible?”

“Uh, should I… should I know you?” Hiccup furrowed his brows. You’d think a man would be able to remember the faces of people who are friends with these many dragons.

She blinked and took in a breath, glancing to the side in an anxious manner. It was strange, Hiccup thought, that a single question could change a person’s whole demeanor. “No… You were only a babe.”

She glanced down again before meeting his eyes. “But a mother.. Never forgets.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you spot any errors be sure to let me know so I can fix them as this version stems from my caffeine crash. :]


End file.
